Gas-retort-charging machine.



No. 801,492. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905 J. WEST.-

GAS RETORT CHARGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Wiineooeo:

Jmvenfm;

(IQ/W WIN I diioznem No. 801,492. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905.

J. WEST. GAS RETORT CHARGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1903.

3 SHBETSSHEET 2.

PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905.

J. WEST. GAS RETORT CHARGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W1 human UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GAS-RETORT-CHARGING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed November 13,1903. Serial No. 181,027.

To aZl whom it may 807L867'IL.

Be it known that I, J OHN WEST, a subject of the King of Great Britain,residing at the Firs, Park Road, South Port, in the county of Lancaster,England, have invented a new and useful Improvement inGas-Retort-Charging Machines, of which improvement the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas-retort-charging machines,and particularly to mechanism for automatically tilting the scoopalternately in different directions to discharge the contents thereofinto the retort.

The object of my invention is to provide means in a charging-machine forgas-retorts to advance and reverse the scoop and automatically tilt thecontents into the retort; and to accomplish this object my inventionconsists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the scoop-actuatingmechanism carried in the scoop-carriage, the scoop and support for thesame being partially broken away. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of thecharging-carriage. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the carriage, its tracks, and the mechanism for moving thecarriage. Fig. 1 is a similar view in side elevation. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and8 are detail views of the scoop-tilting mechanism, showing the diiferentmovements of the same. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views showing themechanism for actuating the scoop-tilting clutch.

Referring to the drawings, the referencenumeral 1 indicates the scoop,and 2 the scoopcarriage. The said carriage has tractionwheels 3 3rotatably mounted at its sides near the rear of the same, and a wheel 4is mounted centrally and beneath said carriage at its front.Channel-beams 5 5 form a track for the wheels 3 3, and a track 6 ismounted between the beams 5 5 to form a surface for the wheel a totravel on. Said beams 5 and track 6 may be mounted in any suitableframework (not shown)-such a frame, for instance, as shown in myapplication, Serial No. 120,133, filed August 18, 1902.

The mechanism for moving the carriage consists of a ram '7, preferablymounted to one side of the carriage-trucks, the said ram having securedto the forward end of the piston-rod 8 the rack 9, which meshes with apinion 10, secured to the shaft 11, on which is also mounted thechain-drum 12, around which a driving-chain 13 passes. One end of saidchain 13 is carried under the idler-roll 14: and around the pulleys 1515, secured near the forward end of the tracks 5 and 6, and thence underand partially around the wheel 16, to which it is secured, the saidwheel being carried in the carriage 2, the other end of the chainpassing from the drum 12 under idler-pulley 17, around pulleys 18 18 atthe rear of the trucks, and under and partially around the wheel 19, towhich it is secured and which is also carried by the carriage 2, locatedadjacent to the wheel 16, both of these wheels being secured on thesleeve 20, on one end of which the gear 21 is also secured. It will benoted by this arrangement that the rotation of the drum 12 will pull oneor the other ends of the chain 13, dependent upon the direction ofrotation of said drum, and that this will tend to turn the sleeve onwhich the gear 21 is secured through the medium of the wheels 16 and 19,to which the ends of the chain are secured. The rotation of this gear isfor the purpose of tilting the scoop, as will be more fully herein afterdescribed.

The scoop 1 has its rear end secured to the casting 22, to which issecured a supporting and actuating shaft 23, the said shaft having along bearing in the box 24, carried by the carriage 2, and to the rearof this shaft the bevel-gear 25 is secured. Two bevel-gears 26 and 27are carried on sleeves 27 on a shaft 28 and mesh with the gear 25.Mounted on the shaft 28 is the gear 29, which meshes with the gear 21,before described, and a clutch 30 is mounted on the shaft 28 between thegears 26 and 27 and is adapted to connect one or the other of the saidgears with the said shaft, whereby when the gear 29 is rotated by thegear 21 the scoop, through the medium of the shaft 23, gear 25, and oneor the other of the gears 26 and 27, will be tilted to discharge itsload, the side to which it tilts being determined by which of the gears26 and 27 is connected with the shaft 28. this of course beingdetermined by position of the clutch 30.

In practice it is desirable to deposit the coal from the scoop firstfrom one side and then from the other in succeeding operations, and toautomatically carry this out it is necessary to actuate the clutch 30between each depositing operation of the scoop, and to do this I employthe cam 31, secured to the shaft 32, which is mounted in thescoop-carriage 2, the said cam being of the form known as a surface cam,the cone-slot 33 formed in the same being engaged by a pin 34, carriedby the clutch-operating lever 35, which is fulcrumed intermediate itslength in the bracket 36, secured to one side of the carriage. The shaft32 has secured to one end the gear or star wheel 37, which when thecarriage is advanced is engaged by the pins 38, mounted in thevertically-slidable plate 39. This operation automatically turns the cam31, thus moving the clutch to such a position that it engages the otherone of the gears 26 27 to which it has just been connected. To insurethe clutch being thrown to a proper position and also to hold the samein place, a collar 40 is mounted on the shaft 32 by a spline connection,the outer end of said collar being convex, as shown, and theshaft-bearing, against which the said collar abuts, being concave, asshown. A spring 41 normally holds said collar against said bearing,thereby preventing the shaft from turning until the proper force isapplied thereto.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that the star-wheel 37should only be acted upon once between each advance movement of thescoop, and in order to prevent the pins 38 contacting with said wheel onits return the member 42 is pivotally suspended above said wheel, therear end thereof being formed on such an incline that as the carriagereturns it will engage and actuate the pins 38, as shown in Fig. 10, butin advancing it will ride over the pins, as shown in Fig. 9. The slide39 is connected with the counterweighted lever 43 in order that themovement of the. same may be more readily accomplished.

The wheel 19, over which one end of the driving-chain passes and issecured, is provided on its side adjacent to the carriage with thesegmental lug 44, the ends 45 and 46 thereof being provided withcushioning contactblocks, and a projection 47 formed on the inner sideof the carriage, is adapted to confine the rotation of the wheel to thespace between the ends 45 and 46 of the lug 44, as clearly shown inFigs. 5 to 8.

Secured to the side tracks near their forward ends are the notchedplates 48, the notches being so arranged that the members 49 may moveover them in one directionthat is, when the carriage is advancingbut thereturn of the carriage is prevented until such time as the said members49 are withdrawn from the notches in the plate 48. The members 49 aresecured on a shaft 50, journaled in the sides of the carriage, andintermediate the length of the said shaft the arm 51 is secured thereto.A knocker 52 is adapted to act on the arm 51 when the wheels 16 and 19are prop erly rotated, this forming a means whereby the members 49 maybe withdrawn from the plate 48.

The operation of the device is as follows: The scoop having been filledwith the desired material, fluid is conducted to the ram 7 in such amanner that the drum 12 is properly rotated, and the wheels 16 and 19,lugs 45 and 46, and projection 47 being in the position shown in Fig. 5the carriage will be pulled forward until the members 49 engage one ofthe notches in the plate 48, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the scoop nowbeing in a proper position for tilting. During this advance of thecarriage the clutch-thro wing mechanism,hereinbefore described, isactuated as stated. The direction of rotation of the drum is nowreversed automatically by the engagement of lever 60, controllingreversing-valve 61 of ram 7, with the inclined trip 9 on bar 9, thuscausing the ram 7 to retract the bar 9, whereby the wheels 16and 19 willbe pulled around, as indicated in Fig. 7, the knocker 52 then contactingwith the arm 51 for disengaging the members 49 from the plate 48, thispartial rotation of the wheels 16 and 19 also revolving the gear 21 andthrough the hereinbefore-described gearing tilting or dumping thescoop 1. The wheels will continue to rotate until the projection 46abuts against the projection 47 on the carriage, at which time themember 49 will be wholly free from the notches in the plate 48, as shownin Fig. 8, at which time further movement of the chain will return thecarriage to its normal position, and when the movement of the chain isstopped the momentum of the carriage will carry it a slight dis tance,whereby the wheels 16 and 19 will be revolved in a reverse direction tothat used in dumping the scoop until such time as the lug 45 contactswith the projection 47, when the mechanism is in asuitable position toagain be advanced.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In agas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination of a carriage, means tomove the same, a ram, the stem of which is provided with a rack, achain-drum, a shaft having parallel wheels mounted thereon over whichthe chain on said drum operates, a gear mounted on said last-mentionedshaft adapted to mesh with a gear mounted upon a shaft in advance ofsaid last-mentioned shaft, a cam adapted to operate a clutch mechanismalternately in different directions laterally, in combination withmechanism to prevent the camshaft operating until the proper time.

2. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination of a carriage, ascoop or charging vessel operated by the carriage, a pressure-operatedmotor, a valve controlling said motor, means operated by said motor fortraveling the carriage back and forth, means for dumping the scoop, andmeans for automatically operating the valve to reverse the motor, saidmeans automatically acting after dumping of the scoop, whereby thecarriage is automatically returned and the scoop withdrawn from theretort.

3. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination of a carriage, ascoop or charging vessel operated by the carriage, a pressure-operatedram. a valve controlling said ram, a drum, flexible connections windingon said drum for operating the carriage to and fro, a gear for turningthe drum, a rack meshing with the gear and operated by the ram, andmeans operated by the rack for automatically operating the valve toreverse the ram after dumping of the scoop to cause automatic return ofthe carriage and scoop.

a. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination with a carriage,and means for advancing and returning said carriage, of a rocking ortilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriage and having ashaft with a gear thereon, separate driving-gears adapted to beindependently driven to independently and alternately operate the gearaforesaid to turn the shaft in opposite directions to cause the scoop todump from opposite sides thereof at different times, and meansautomatically operated at predetermined times by the movements of thecarriage, whereby the respective driving-gears aforesaid are made toalternately drive the scoopoperating gear aforesaid.

5. In a gas-retort charging and drawing apparatus, the combination witha carriage, and means for advancing and returning said carriage, of arocking or tilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriageand having a shaft with a gear thereon, separate driving-gears adaptedto independently operate the gear aforesaid to turn the shaft inopposite directions to cause the scoop to dump from opposite sidesthereof at different times, a cam-controlled clutch for causing thedriving-gears to independently and alternately operate thescoop-operating gear, a toothed wheel operating said cam, and a memberadapted to turn the toothed wheel when the carriage is at apredetermined position and thereby cause automatic reversal of thescoop.

6. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination with a carriage,and means for advancing and returning said carriage, of a rocking ortilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriage, meanscarried by the carriage for rocking or tilting said scoop, relativelystationary means for engaging with said scoop rocking or tilting deviceat a predetermined time during the, movement of the carriage to causetilting of the scoop, and means for preventing cooperation of thedevices for tilting the scoop on the other movement of the carriage andthereby rendering them inactive.

7. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination with a carriage,and means for advancing andreturning said carriage. of a rocking ortilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriage, a toothedwheel carried by the carriage for tilting or rocking the scoop, amovable member havinga member to engage the toothed wheel on onemovement of the carriage to cause rocking or tilting of the scoop, and amovable guard adapted for interposition between the toothed wheel andthe operating member aforesaid to prevent their cooperation on the othermovement of the carriage.

8. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination with a carriage,and means for advancing and returning said carriage, of a rocking ortilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriage, a toothedwheel for causing tilting or rocking of the scoop, a slide, means forretracting said slide, a pin on said slide adapted for engagement withthe toothed wheel to turn the same on the return movement of thecarriage, and a pivoted guard carried by the carriage, adapted forinterposition be tween the toothed wheel and slide to preventcooperative engagement of the slide and toothed wheel on the advancemovement of the carriage.

9. In a gas-retort-charging apparatus, the combination with a carriage,and means for advancing and returning said carriage, of a rocking ortilting scoop or charging vessel operated by said carriage, and having ashaft with a gear thereon, separate driving-gears adapted toindependently operate the gear aforesaid to turn the shaft in oppositedirections to cause the scoop to dump from opposite sides thereof atdifferent times, a camcontrolled clutch for causing the driving-gears toindependently and alternately operate the scoop-operating gear, atoothed wheel for operating the cam of the clutch, a shaft on which saidtoothed wheel is secured, a stationary locking member, a collar adaptedto engage with the stationary locking member, said collar being slidablysplined on the shaft of the toothed wheel. a spring normally holding thecollar and the locking member in engagement, and a member adapted toturn the toothed wheel when the carriage is ata predetermined positionand thereby cause the automatic reversal of the scoop.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WEST.

In presence of CLARENCE A. I'VILLIAMS, JOHN H. Ronny.

